Connected success

Doty, Gale possess an unspoken connection that has translated into wins

Santa Clarita Christian's Kayla Gale, left, and Amanda Doty, right, having been a driving force in the Cardinals' success this season. Gale has 59 career goals and Doty 40 assists and 41 goals for SCCS. Currently 14-2-1 overall, the Cardinals are in the midst of their best season in the school's history.

The Santa Clarita Christian girls soccer team is having a milestone season - thanks in large part to Kayla Gale's milestone accomplishment.

The junior striker surpassed the 50-goal mark for her career by scoring three goals in a victory over AGBU High School of Pasadena in mid-January. Gale currently sits with 59 career goals, and Santa Clarita Christian is 14-2-1 overall and a lock to finish with the first winning record in the program's history.

According to Gale, companionship is the most important part of this year's team.

"I have classes with all these kids, so we're all very close," she says.

And no one is closer to Gale than Cardinals junior Amanda Doty.

Gale met Doty in her second year of club soccer, and the two of them hit it off almost immediately.

"We both just have a lot of the same beliefs," Gale says. "We both come from very similar family backgrounds and both have a very unique sense of humor. We just have a lot of fun together."

That bond has translated to the field.

"I could be looking down at the ball and I'll know where she is," Doty says.

Doty has found Gale many times in her career, with goals often coming as a result. Doty splits her time between center midfielder and stopper, and she's recorded 40 career assists for the Cardinals to go along with 41 goals of her own.

"I like to pass," she says. "That's always been my game, and I'm totally fine with (Gale) scoring goals as long as it's helping our team."

Gale initially wasn't sure she wanted to play soccer in high school, but that quickly changed when she met Cardinals head coach Brandon Wolf, who was entering his first year with the varsity team.

"He's such a good motivator, and he got me excited about playing again," Gale says.

Wolf was just excited to have two players with so much talent.

"As freshmen, they showed up and they were the best players on the team, which doesn't happen very often," Wolf says. "I looked like an awesome coach. Honestly, that was more about them than anything."

Club experience has helped Gale and Doty dominate in high school. When they're not playing for the Cardinals, Gale and Doty are patrolling the midfield for the 17-and-under A.C. Milan club team based out of the Santa Clarita Valley.

"I think high school is more fun," Gale says. "It's a lot of school pride and my classmates come out and support each other. Club is way more competitive. It's definitely fun, but it's way harder."

Thanks to the exposure that club soccer provides, Gale has the opportunity to continue her career at the next level.

Several colleges have expressed interest in acquiring her services, and Gale has expressed interest in staying close to home and helping her two younger sisters grow.

"I'm looking into The Master's College and Westmont," she says. "I want to stay local with my sisters. I would love to come and support them because they support me. I would love to be there for them, too."

Doty is also exploring her college options and has looked into Cal Lutheran and Pepperdine in addition to The Master's College.

Wherever Gale and Doty end up, Wolf is confident the programs will be better for it.

"You won't find two better girls on any soccer team," he says. "I see all the stories about these younger girls who are playing amateur ball and trying out in USA programs. I'd take these two girls over them any day."

It's also a safe bet that the bond between Gale and Doty will continue to stand as tall as their accomplishments at Santa Clarita Christian.

"My family was going on a vacation to New York and Washington, D.C., and I'd known her just a couple of months, and I was like, ‘I want Kayla to come!'" Doty says. "It was just a really fast connection between the two of us."